1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electro-optical device, such as a liquid crystal device and the like. More particularly, the prevent invention relates to an electro-optical device having a frame-shaped light-shielding film that defines an image display region, and to an electronic apparatus including the electro-optical device.
2. Related Art
In general, an electro-optical device includes an element array substrate in which display electrodes, such as pixel electrodes or striped electrodes, various wiring lines, such as data lines or scanning lines, and switching elements, such as thin film transistors for pixel switching (hereinafter, referred to as TFTs) or thin film diodes (hereinafter, referred to as TFDs) are formed, and a counter substrate in which a counter electrode formed in stripes or over an entire surface of the counter substrate, light-shielding films, and the like are formed. The element array substrate is opposite to the counter substrate. Further, an electro-optical material, such as liquid crystal, is surrounded by a sealant between the element array substrate and the counter substrate. In a region (that is, a region on the substrate that faces the liquid crystal or the like) closer to the center than the sealing region where the sealant is provided, an image display region where pixel electrodes are disposed is formed. In particular, a frame region of the image display region is defined by the same film as a light-shielding film provided on the counter substrate in a frame shape along an inside contour of the sealing region in plan view (that is, when viewed from a direction opposite to the image display region).
In the peripheral regions around the image display region, peripheral circuits, such as a scanning line driving circuit, a data line driving circuit, a sampling circuit, a test circuit, and the like, are provided on the element array substrate. That is, a so-called peripheral circuit built-in electro-optical device has been widely used. Accordingly, in the peripheral regions, wiring lines that are led from the image display region to the peripheral regions are generally provided.
In such an electro-optical device, a pattern portion, which has wiring lines or circuit elements existing in the frame region on the element array substrate, is formed of a conductive film, such as a patterned Al film or the like. For example, in an electro-optical device for a projector where the intensity of incident light is strong and a large number of oblique components are held, the incident light is reflected on a surface of the pattern portion according to the reflectance of the pattern portion, and passes though the interference of the pattern portion. As such, the light reflected from the pattern portion is reflected on a frame-shaped light-shielding film made of a material, such as chromium (Cr), on the counter substrate.
The inner surface reflecting light reflected from the frame-shaped light-shielding film or light having passed through the pattern portion includes reflective light reflected from a rear surface of the element array substrate; inner surface reflecting light reflected from the frame-shaped light-shielding film; light having passed through the pattern portion; reflective light reflected from optical elements, such as a polarizing plate, a phase difference plate, a dust-proof glass, and the like, mounted on a light emission side of the electro-optical device; returned light that is emitted from another electro-optical device and passes through a synthetic optical system to be then returned, in a case of constructing a multiple-plate-type projector by combining a plurality of electro-optical devices as light valves; and inner surface reflecting light reflected from the pattern portion or the frame-shaped light-shielding film. The above-mentioned reflected light is combined in finally emitted light to be then emitted from the electro-optical device.
As a result, bright and dark patterns according to the reflection or transmission in the pattern portion (for example, when a plurality of wiring lines are disposed, bright and dark striped patterns) may be shown near the edges of display images. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, JP-A-2003-177427 discloses an electro-optical device in which lower light-shielding films are formed in a portion of a frame region on an element array substrate.
However, in this electro-optical device, when the electro-optical device is manufactured or driven, cracks may occur in regions separating lower light-shielding films from one another. The cracks propagate to a multilayered structure on an element array substrate along the edges of the lower light-shielding films and the corner portions in plan view, which cuts the wiring lines formed on the lower light-shielding films. Accordingly, due to the propagation of the cracks, when the electro-optical device is manufactured, the yield may be lowered, or reliability of the electro-optical device may be lowered. Specifically, when the power supply wiring lines are cut due to the propagation of the cracks, it becomes difficult to drive the electro-optical device. According to a technology disclosed in JP-A-2003-177427, in order to prevent the defects in the display images, the lower light-shielding films are formed on the element array substrate. Further, in JP-A-2003-177427, a multilayered structure how not to generate the propagating of cracks to the element array substrate is not described. In addition, in JP-A-2003-177427, the description is not made with respect to the possibility that defects may occur when the wring lines are cut due to the propagation of the cracks.